camping photo backpack image
Marlene
I am looking for a good trail magazine. I know of some out there but they are mainly about gear and advertisement. Maybe one that reviews and talks about different trails around the world. Even the not so popular and kind of out there ones, something adventurous. Any information would be helpful.
Answer
The main backpacking magazine is Backpacker. Each monthly issue has a main focus in addition to regular trail reports, training suggestions and stories from hikers. They do have a big gear review issue each spring, but other issues focus on things like the best National Parks, survival skills or a focus on a specific region. The current issue (March 09) is a review of the best hikes around the world. While I have found the main articles and trail reviews to be pretty good, the magazine has also become somewhat formulaic in the last few years and their gear reviewers have never seen a piece of equipment they weren't thrilled about.
Outside magazine is another one that is pretty popular with hikers and backpackers. Outside covers all sorts of outside recreations including running, biking, skiing, boating and extreme sports. They frequently have hiking and backpacking articles as well as more generic articles that apply to multiple activities (ie: basic training tips, etc).
If you are mostly interested in looking for recommendations on finding specific trails, than I would recommend the large Falcon Publishing series of trail guide books which cover most states as well as books focused on specific parks or regions. The books give good descriptions of trails, key mile points, descriptions of camp spots and often a rating system for finding hikes based on certain criteria. Most popular hiking areas will also have additional trail guides published by local authors. You may want to consider doing a search on the Amazon website for the areas you are interested in hiking.
If you want to get a good cross section of hike reviews and trail guides without having to buy a lot of books, then you may want to consider getting a subscription to Trails.com which has most of the Falcon books (and trail guides from other books) online where you can view and even download single trails from a variety of the books without having to view or buy the whole book each time.
And lastly, if you are interested in reviews of hikes from around the world, than you might want to check out the book "Classic Hikes of the World" by Peter Potterfield. Potterfield provides detailed descriptions and photos of 23 the world's best hikes.
The main backpacking magazine is Backpacker. Each monthly issue has a main focus in addition to regular trail reports, training suggestions and stories from hikers. They do have a big gear review issue each spring, but other issues focus on things like the best National Parks, survival skills or a focus on a specific region. The current issue (March 09) is a review of the best hikes around the world. While I have found the main articles and trail reviews to be pretty good, the magazine has also become somewhat formulaic in the last few years and their gear reviewers have never seen a piece of equipment they weren't thrilled about.
Outside magazine is another one that is pretty popular with hikers and backpackers. Outside covers all sorts of outside recreations including running, biking, skiing, boating and extreme sports. They frequently have hiking and backpacking articles as well as more generic articles that apply to multiple activities (ie: basic training tips, etc).
If you are mostly interested in looking for recommendations on finding specific trails, than I would recommend the large Falcon Publishing series of trail guide books which cover most states as well as books focused on specific parks or regions. The books give good descriptions of trails, key mile points, descriptions of camp spots and often a rating system for finding hikes based on certain criteria. Most popular hiking areas will also have additional trail guides published by local authors. You may want to consider doing a search on the Amazon website for the areas you are interested in hiking.
If you want to get a good cross section of hike reviews and trail guides without having to buy a lot of books, then you may want to consider getting a subscription to Trails.com which has most of the Falcon books (and trail guides from other books) online where you can view and even download single trails from a variety of the books without having to view or buy the whole book each time.
And lastly, if you are interested in reviews of hikes from around the world, than you might want to check out the book "Classic Hikes of the World" by Peter Potterfield. Potterfield provides detailed descriptions and photos of 23 the world's best hikes.
Tips for a really long motorcycle road trip?
im traveling through all the mainland, so 48 states going from ca and ending in ny . i think the trip with last 3 or so months. what are some tips for backpacking through the states?
Answer
I did a 2,700 mile trip on my small cruiser (583 cc) in 2008 and a 1,900 mile trip last spring. The best thing I did to prepare was install a GPS to my handlebars with a marine 12 volt cigarette lighter style power outlet to my front fork just under the fork tree. Don't leave home with out it unless you like being stuck on the interstates and major roads only!
Using the GPS I was able to do about 90% of the trip on state highways and back roads which made the trip most pleasant! Purchase your GPS at a national retailer and buy the extended replacement warranty. That way if the unit expectantly fails on the trip you can most likely replace it soon for free and continue. Happened to me in Boston, MA. 800 miles from home. The motorcycle GPSs on the market are waterproof and that is really a good feature on such a long trip. I did not get one, I got the car type due to money considerations. The down side is, if it starts raining I have to put it away in a zip lock bag and travel "blind" until the weather improves. Can be inconvenient when relying on the GPS's directions when caught on back roads away form major roads in the rain. Then again if you don;t ride in the rain that would not be an issue often. Savings to inconvenience, it's always a trade off. I made my handle bar mount but there are mounts available on the web to mount most any GPS on your bike at reasonable prices. This means you don't have to go with only a motorcycle GPS just becuase you need to mount it on a bike.
Another thing I have found is that motorcycle camping has economical advantages but may slow the progress if you are destination oriented. Hotels are faster, in and out, but much more expensive.
For more info on camping you are welcome to follow this URL link to see how I pack my bike for camping.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92225127@N00/sets/72157621752025385/
Also, consider an upgrade to your stock motorcycle seat. I upgraded to a "Mustang" seat for my Honda Cruiser. Best money I have ever spent on my bike. I often spend 12 to 14 hours per day on my bike on these trips with breaks about every two to three hours with little discomfort. That stock seat was painful after just a few hours and almost unbearable after six.
My last tip: If you ride a cruiser style bike setup your luggage to provide some type of back support. I use two sissy bar bags backed up to the sissy bar. I made a marine vinyl cover with a two inch foam insert to serve as rain protection for my luggage and a back rest. Since I don't use a windshield this setup takes all the force of the wind off my arms and makes even interstate riding much less fatiguing. Even with a windshield lower back support is a good idea for long distance riding.
I did a 2,700 mile trip on my small cruiser (583 cc) in 2008 and a 1,900 mile trip last spring. The best thing I did to prepare was install a GPS to my handlebars with a marine 12 volt cigarette lighter style power outlet to my front fork just under the fork tree. Don't leave home with out it unless you like being stuck on the interstates and major roads only!
Using the GPS I was able to do about 90% of the trip on state highways and back roads which made the trip most pleasant! Purchase your GPS at a national retailer and buy the extended replacement warranty. That way if the unit expectantly fails on the trip you can most likely replace it soon for free and continue. Happened to me in Boston, MA. 800 miles from home. The motorcycle GPSs on the market are waterproof and that is really a good feature on such a long trip. I did not get one, I got the car type due to money considerations. The down side is, if it starts raining I have to put it away in a zip lock bag and travel "blind" until the weather improves. Can be inconvenient when relying on the GPS's directions when caught on back roads away form major roads in the rain. Then again if you don;t ride in the rain that would not be an issue often. Savings to inconvenience, it's always a trade off. I made my handle bar mount but there are mounts available on the web to mount most any GPS on your bike at reasonable prices. This means you don't have to go with only a motorcycle GPS just becuase you need to mount it on a bike.
Another thing I have found is that motorcycle camping has economical advantages but may slow the progress if you are destination oriented. Hotels are faster, in and out, but much more expensive.
For more info on camping you are welcome to follow this URL link to see how I pack my bike for camping.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92225127@N00/sets/72157621752025385/
Also, consider an upgrade to your stock motorcycle seat. I upgraded to a "Mustang" seat for my Honda Cruiser. Best money I have ever spent on my bike. I often spend 12 to 14 hours per day on my bike on these trips with breaks about every two to three hours with little discomfort. That stock seat was painful after just a few hours and almost unbearable after six.
My last tip: If you ride a cruiser style bike setup your luggage to provide some type of back support. I use two sissy bar bags backed up to the sissy bar. I made a marine vinyl cover with a two inch foam insert to serve as rain protection for my luggage and a back rest. Since I don't use a windshield this setup takes all the force of the wind off my arms and makes even interstate riding much less fatiguing. Even with a windshield lower back support is a good idea for long distance riding.
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Title Post: Does anyone know of some good hiking or backpacking magazines?
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Rating: 95% based on 981 ratings. 4,6 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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